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At a time when good news is in notably short supply, it’s nice to be able to report several positive stories on this week’s front page.

U.S. truck tonnage grew by 3.3% in May — the seventh straight monthly increase — according to a preliminary report from American Trucking Associations.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance said 23.9% of the 52,345 vehicles that underwent comprehensive inspections during Roadcheck last month were placed out of service, the lowest percentage in the program’s 21-year history.

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia received European antitrust approval to complete its $8.1 billion purchase of Navteq Corp., a Chicago-based provider of digital maps for in-vehicle navigation systems.

Heavy-duty components maker ArvinMeritor Inc. said it will buy Trucktechnic, a Belgium-based remanufacturer and distributor of commercial vehicle disc and foundation brakes and components.

The U.S. economy’s service sector contracted in June as prices reached a record high and employment reached a record low, the Institute for Supply Management said Thursday.

High fuel prices are dampening demand for diesel and gasoline, and more Americans will stay home this Fourth of July holiday than last year, a truck stop trade group said Thursday.

A federal appeals court in Washington rejected a petition by Massachusetts and 17 other states attempting to force a quick decision from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on how to regulate greenhouse gases.

Hey, no problem — go ahead and limit the speed. That’s what you would expect from a socialist country. The truckers will simply move south — to a free country.

U.S. manufacturing levels expanded in June for the first time in five months, the Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday.